GOOD THINGS OFTEN COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

Small Luxury Hotels lead the way in “doing those little things exceptionally well”

What is different about the philosophy of SLH compared to other hotel groups? We put the leading question to Tim Davis, Vice President Brand & Marketing, SLH.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World has always existed to connect independently minded guests with independently spirited hotels. In many ways SLH was ahead of its time when it launched 26 years ago, carefully handpicking the most character- filled, storied and unique hotels for guests to experience. Our point of difference has always been about selecting hotels that really pay homage to their corner of the globe but also those that do all the little things exceptionally well.

This year, you had a major restructuring of your organisation. What did this entail and what does it change for travel professionals with whom you are working?

In May, SLH and its management company entered into a new joint venture structure, which included the incorporation of a new SLH operating vehicle (SLH Limited). The restructure allowed for a £12 million investment over the next five years into SLH by the owners of the management company and also made member hotels shareholders in Small Luxury Hotels of the World Limited. The investment has enabled CEO Filip Boyen to have more flexibility to drive the brand forward in today’s increasingly competitive landscape to execute large scale Initiatives laid out in SLH’s ambitious five-year plan. It allows SLH to further drive our newly improved quality assurance programme; refresh our loyalty offering which is due for re-launch in 2017 and advance our technology and distribution systems.

WE OFFER NUMEROUS ROAD SHOWS AND SHOWCASES EACH YEAR WHERE LUXURY TRAVEL AGENTS ARE INVITED TO MEET WITH AND LEARN ABOUT OUR HOTELS

Some new hotels have recently joined the group… Can you please tell us more about them?

This year we’ve welcomed 36 new hotels into our collection, all of which have standout quality. A number of them have been in unfulfilled destinations such as South Korea, Ibiza, Norway Anguilla and Wales.

How do you support tour operators and travel agents?

We offer numerous road shows and showcases each year where luxury travel agents are invited to meet with and learn about our hotels. Agents can book via the GDS (code LX), the travel agent website (agents.slh.com) and via the SLH VIP Desk. Any SLH booking channel qualifies for commission payment. We don’t currently work with any tour operators.